Description and Ecology 

Scarlet Tanagers (Piranga olivacea) are large (~18 cm) migratory songbirds in the Cardinal Family (Cardinalidae). Ontario has two native Tanager species. The Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) is typically observed as a migratory vagrant at birding hotspots, such as Long Point, Pelee, and Rondeau along Lake Erie. These birds “accidentally” travel north of their breeding range (the southeastern United States), and then these vagrant Summer Tanagers reverse migrate out of Canada, fito their proper location. The much more common Scarlet Tanager is observed during migration and the summer breeding season in Canada. It prefers mixed hardwood forests in the Great Lakes Region. Scarlet Tanagers also breed along the Atlantic Coast (i.e., in Maine, New Brunswick) and in the Appalachian Mountains.

Male Tanagers are scarlet-red in the breeding season (April – July), arriving in the Great Lakes Region in early May, while the females arrive around a week later. These male Scarlet Tanagers sing a beautiful melodic warbles or notes, being quite vocal during the dawn chorus, although they also sing in the evening. To birders, the song of Tanagers is sometimes described as “a robin with a cold”. Around July 20, after nesting has been completed, both sexes undergo a molt to their winter plumage. The annual molting of the songbirds is one of the phenological signs that summer has progressed beyond “high summer” or the aestival phase (June and July, where plant, bird, and insect life is most intense) into late summer, or the serotinal phase (mid-August through September). In late summer, male Scarlet Tanagers rarely sing anymore, instead quiet and when sighted, appearing olive-green instead. Female Tanagers remain olive-green year round, distinguished from autumn males by their lighter wings (versus black wings). Scarlet Tanager begin moving to migratory staging areas by August, and by October, most have already flown in the tropics. Their wintering range is in the tropical rainforests of Central America and South America, especially the tropical Andes.

The preferred breeding habitat for Scarlet Tanagers are mature deciduous forests. Scarlet Tanagers are an area-sensitive species – when a large forest tract is diminished to a small fragment, the area can no longer serve as proper habitat for Scarlet Tanagers. According to eBird (an online database of bird observations associated with Cornell University), necessary habitat has diminished so much in the Canadian half of the Lake Erie Region that is only breeds in a few areas: the Long Point Region (Norfolk County), Rondeau Provincial Park, the Skunk’s Misery area (Middlesex and Lambton County), the Thames River Valley, AuSable River Gorge & Parkhill Creek, the AuSable Dunes including Pinery Provincial Park, and the larger remnant forests in West Elgin.  The is usually placed high within the canopy of a large hardwood tree, such as a Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Red Oak (Quercus rubra), American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), White Ash (Fraxinus americana) or Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), on a horizontal branch far away from the main trunk to best avoid predators. Females lay 3-5 eggs per clutch, with only 1 clutch per year. She builds a nest within 3-4 days, out of twigs, grass, and other plant materials. The incubation period is 12-14, done entirely by the female, with the nestlings being raised in approximately 15 days until fledge. Eggs are green or blue, with dark red speckles.

Scarlet Tanagers are omnivorous birds, primarily consuming insects and fruit. They are foliage gleaners, foraging through the canopy of forests in search of insects that are palatable to them. Potential predators include hawks, falcons and other raptors. Insects consumed include butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), flies (Diptera), ants & bees (Hymenoptera), and many other varieties of insects.

Fun Facts:

• May is the best month to observe Scarlet Tanagers. In the other months of the summer, Scarlet Tanagers can be surprisingly difficult to spot, since they are often obscured by the foliage of deciduous trees. Grab a pair of binoculars, and spotting these beautiful songbirds will become much easier!
• Like many other songbirds (including warblers, Parulidae), Scarlet Tanagers are nocturnal migrants
• Scarlet Tanagers are monogamous within a single summer breeding season. This is typical for most birds, but atypical for many mammals.
• Many Tanagers travel over 2000km between the Great Lakes Region and their wintering grounds in the tropical Americas.

 

Written by Matthew Palarchio, HBSc in Environmental Sciences, Western University

All photos are Stock photos retrieved from Canva

 

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